Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka of treason for his involvement in the Ukrainian invasion and has declared herself the new leader of her country.

Tsikhanouskaya, 39, is the opposition leader to Lukashenka who attempted to win the presidency in the 2020 election following the arrest of her husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski. Her failed bid as an independent candidate in the disputed election sent her fleeing in exile to Lithuania where she has lived since, Deutsche Welle reported.

“We didn’t expect this war would happen,” Tsikhanouskaya said. “We didn’t believe in this… Putin partnered with [Lukashenka] and attacked Ukraine. And this is the price Lukashenka is paying for Kremlin’s support in 2020, which allowed Lukashenka to stay in power.”